Algebra Factorising (F) Revision Quiz P1: Maths

Factorising is an essential skill in algebra, and it involves breaking down an algebraic expression into a product of simpler expressions. In other words, we are looking for common factors that can be pulled out of the terms in an expression.

Both 6x and 12 are multiples of 6, so we can factor out 6:
6(x + 2)

By using the factorised form of the expression, we can check our answer by distributing the 6 back in:
6(x + 2) = 6x + 1

Both terms have a factor of 3 and a factor of a so that we can factor out 3a:
3a(a - 2)

Again, we can check our answer by distributing the 3a back in:
3a(a - 2) = 3a² - 6a

Now let us consider the special case of factorising quadratic expressions. These expressions have a squared term (usually x²), an x-term, and a constant term. For example:
x² + 5x + 6